What's next? Storm leaves thousands without power, damages buildings in Wayne & Holmes

Bryce Buyakie, The Daily Record
·3 min read

WOOSTER – Hundreds to thousands remain without power after a severe thunderstorm pummeled Wayne and Holmes counties Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Strong gusts up to 89 mph peeled away rooftops and blew apart some barns and other structures, downing power lines, closing roadways and shutting down some public offices and area businesses.

The strong winds and heavy downpour dumped at least two and a half inches of rain and left residents to clean up and caused officials to open cooling stations as the heat index is expected to top 100 degrees Wednesday.

Folks on Tuesday were preparing for what might be several days without electricity.

The National Weather Service is investigating if a tornado caused the heavy damage in parts of the two counties, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service in Cleveland said.

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Crews clear a fallen tree at the Kinney building on Burbank Road in Wooster. Thousands were still without power in Wayne and Holmes counties Tuesday morning following an overnight severe thunderstorm that closed roadways, downed utility lines and caused some flash flooding.
Crews clear a fallen tree at the Kinney building on Burbank Road in Wooster. Thousands were still without power in Wayne and Holmes counties Tuesday morning following an overnight severe thunderstorm that closed roadways, downed utility lines and caused some flash flooding.

The high winds caused outages for nearly 10,000 residents in Wayne, Holmes and Ashland counties as of Tuesday afternoon, according to American Electric Power and FirstEnergy.

"Hard hit areas can expect a multiple day outage," AEP said on Facebook. "Additional inclement weather the next few days may cause additional damage and outages and result in a change in restoration times."

Utility poles were blown over south of Wooster by strong winds from the overnight storm.
Utility poles were blown over south of Wooster by strong winds from the overnight storm.

Hard hit villages such as Millersburg and Shreve were without power.

Of the Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative's 18,000 homes and businesses its serves, 13,000 were without power, according to its Facebook page. Six substations did not have power from their transmission supplier.

"This will be a several days process to restore all power," the cooperative said on Facebook.

Roads closed in Wayne and Holmes

Several trees block Batdorf Road south of Wooster until crews can open it again.
Several trees block Batdorf Road south of Wooster until crews can open it again.

The Holmes County Sheriff's Office placed the county under a Level 3 emergency, closing roadways to nonemergency personnel citing downed trees and powerlines, which continued until it was canceled Tuesday evening.

Most county offices were closed and some area businesses and fast-food restaurants as well.

In Millersburg, state Route 241 was closed because of debris on the road. Village crews cleared out fallen trees and branches in the area.

Among the businesses closed Iin Millersburg were fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Taco Bell, as well as 24-hour gas stations and banks. Most county offices are closed Tuesday.
Among the businesses closed Iin Millersburg were fast food restaurants such as McDonald's and Taco Bell, as well as 24-hour gas stations and banks. Most county offices are closed Tuesday.

Wayne County was placed under a Level 2 emergency, Capt. Doug Hunter said on Facebook, largely affecting the southern half of the county below U.S. Route 30 and west of state Route 83, including the villages of Shreve and Big Prairie.

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A barn on the property of Ernie Wolf along state Route 226 north of Shreve, was destroyed in the Monday night storm.
A barn on the property of Ernie Wolf along state Route 226 north of Shreve, was destroyed in the Monday night storm.

The Wayne County Engineer's Office recommended drivers stay home as crews cleared roads of downed trees and blocked flooded routes while utility crews restored power.

The engineer's office closed roads in Wayne County, including: Prairie Lane, Heyl Road, Wile Road, Jefferson Road, Smyser Road, state Route 302 north of Lincoln Way, Harrison Road east of Fredericksburg, Funk Road, Willow Road, Kister Road, Valley Road, Smithville Western Road between Overton Road and state Route 302, Martin Road and Maple Grove Road.

In Wooster, North Grant Street between Saybolt Avenue and Bowman Street, East Henry Street between Minerva Street and South Bauer Road, Saybolt Avenue between West Liberty Street and Woodlawn Avenue were closed due to downed power lines.

Cooling stations open Tuesday

Get ready for wave two: A heat wave with a heat index (what the temperature will feel like) topping 100 degrees is expected Wednesday and Thursday.

With temperatures rising and folks without air conditioning, Holmes County Emergency Management Director Jason Troyer was opening cooling stations at 2 p.m. in Grace Church in Berlin (5850 County Highway 77) and in the county commissioners' building (2 Court St.) in Millersburg.

The Wayne County Public Library's Wooster Branch opened meeting room 2 as a cooling station until 8:30 p.m., said Katie Koglman, CEO of the United Way of Wayne and Holmes counties.

People can use available seating in the library, she said.

Wooster Daily Record Reporter Kevin Lynch contributed to this story. 

Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com

On Twitter: @Bryce_Buyakie

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Storm knocks out power, downs trees, closes roads in Wayne and Holmes